Method for Prioritizing Nodes for Rerouting and Device Therefor

1. A computer implemented method comprising: identifying a plurality of nodes in a design file, wherein the design file represents an electronic device design, where each of the plurality of nodes represents a conductor between device components of the electronic device design, the plurality of nodes including a first node; determining if the first node is a first re-routable node based upon a comparison of a simulated signal propagation delay of an existing route of the first node to a simulated signal propagation delay of a defined route of the first node; in response to determining that the first node is a first re-routable node, determining a priority of the first re-routable node with respect to a second re-routable node based upon a simulated signal propagation delay of a first path encompassing the first re-routable node and a simulated signal propagation delay of a second path encompassing the second re-routable node to provide a prioritized set of re-routable nodes; and storing the prioritized set of re-routable nodes.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein: determining if the first node is a first re-routable node comprises calculating a ratio of the simulated signal propagation delay of the existing route of the first node to the simulated signal propagation delay of the defined route of the first node; and determining that the first node is not a re-routable node in response to determining that the ratio does not exceed a specified threshold.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein: determining if the first node is a first re-routable node comprises calculating a ratio of the simulated signal propagation delay of the existing route of the first node to the simulated signal propagation delay of the defined route of the first node; and determining that the first node is a re-routable node in response to determining that the ratio exceeds a specified threshold.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: evaluating regions of the electronic device design exhibiting route congestion based on the prioritized set of re-routable nodes.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving signal integrity information for the first node of the prioritized set wherein the signal integrity information is a voltage drop, a current density, signal noise, local heating, or a signal transition time; and updating the priority of the first re-routable node based upon the signal integrity information.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising: re-routing a first re-routable node of the prioritized set; and updating the design file based upon the re-routing.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising: re-routing a second re-routable node of the prioritized set after re-routing the first re-routable node of the prioritized set in response to determining that the priority of the second re-routable node is less than the priority of the first re-routable node.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising: determining a routing metal layer based upon a routing distance of the first node of the prioritized set; and wherein re-routing the first re-routable node comprises re-routing the first re-routable node based on the routing metal layer.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein: determining a routing metal layer comprises determining a routing metal layer based on a fanout of a driver of the first node of the prioritized set.

10. The method of claim 1 further wherein: the first path encompassing the first re-routable node satisfies a timing specification of the electronic device design.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising: displaying a symbolic representation of the first node of the prioritized set in a graphical user interface.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising: displaying a symbolic representation of the defined route of the first node of the prioritized set in the graphical user interface.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising: displaying a symbolic representation of route blockage information in the graphical user interface.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein: the design file includes a representation of: connectivity of a plurality of device components; the plurality of nodes; the simulated signal propagation delay of the existing route of the first node; the simulated signal propagation delay of the defined route of the first node; and the simulated signal propagation delay of the first path encompassing the first node.

15. A computer implemented method comprising: identifying a plurality of nodes in a design file, wherein the design file represents an electronic device, where each node of the design file represents a conductor between device components; receiving a first time delay representing a simulated signal propagation delay of a first of the nodes; receiving a second time delay representing a simulated ideal signal propagation delay of the first of the nodes; comparing the first time delay to the second time delay; determining if the first node is a first re-routable node based on the comparing; in response to determining that the first node is a first re-routable node, receiving a simulated signal propagation delay for a first path encompassing the first re-routable node; in response to receiving the simulated signal propagation delay of the first path, determining a priority of the first re-routable node with respect to a second re-routable node based upon the simulated signal propagation delay of the first path encompassing the first re-routable node and a simulated signal propagation delay of a second path encompassing the second re-routable node to provide a prioritized set of re-routable nodes; and storing the prioritized set of re-routable nodes.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising: re-routing a first re-routable node of the prioritized set; and updating the design file following the re-routing.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions operable to control operation of a data processor to: identify a plurality of nodes in a design file, wherein the design file represents an electronic device design, where each of the plurality of nodes represents a signal routing conductor between device components of the electrical device design, the plurality of nodes including a first node; determine if the first node is a first re-routable node based upon a comparison of a simulated signal propagation delay of an existing route of the first node to a simulated signal propagation delay of an ideal route of the first node; determine a priority of the first re-routable node with respect to a second re-routable node based upon a simulated signal propagation delay of a first path encompassing the first re-routable node and a simulated signal propagation delay of a second path encompassing the second re-routable node to provide a prioritized set of re-routable nodes; and store the prioritized set of re-routable nodes.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising: instructions operable to select a first node of the prioritized set; and instructions operable to re-route the first node in response to selection of the first node.

19. A computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein the instructions operable to select the first node comprise: instruction operable to re-route a second re-routable node of the prioritized set after re-routing the first re-routable node of the prioritized set in response to determining that the priority of the second re-routable node is less than the priority of the first re-routable node.

20. A computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the instructions to determine if the first node is a re-routable node comprise: instructions operable to calculate a ratio of the simulated signal propagation delay of the existing route of the first node to the simulated signal propagation delay of the ideal route of the first node; and instructions operable to determine that the first node is a re-routable node in response to determining the ratio exceeds a specified threshold.